POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: simplesi87 on March 09, 2007, 10:39:54 pm
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Hi all,
About sevin months ago, i was stupid enough to have unprotected sex after a few too many drinks. It was unprotected anal, me being the insertive partner. A few weeks latr, i was in hospital with swollen glands, a rash on my torso, stomach, and hands, headaces, loose stools, fatigue, sore throat. I was tested for HIV using ELISA test, (6 weeks), negative, the doctors also ran a P24 test, again negative. I was told to work with my GP to find the cause of my symptoms, however, after another couple of months and all sorts of test under the care of my GP ,nothing was found to be causing the symptoms, so i wne tof ranother test at the GUM clinic, (just shy of five months), negtative. I would take this as definitive, but i still have the same stymptoms, swollen glands, sore throat on and off, headaches, and a rash that covers my stomach, and also a rash on my hands, it sort of disappears if i raise my hands, but comes back really red and blotchy when my hands are by miy side...if anyone can help me, do these sound like ARS symptoms, would they last this long if they were, and does the rash on my hands sound indicitive of the ARS rash?...im trying to pluck up the courage to go for another test, but am terrified it will become positive. Apart form this, i have been pretty healthy, would it be totally unormal for someone to seroconvert so late under 'normal circumstances', thanks to anyone who might be able to clear a few things up for me.
Simon, UK.
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What ever your problems are, they are unrelated to HIV. Continue to see your doctor.
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Simon,
You have tested conclusively negative for hiv. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. The three month window period exists to catch the rare person who takes a little longer than six weeks to test positive.
You have tested out to nearly five months - and this means that whatever is going on with you, there is no way it has anything to do with hiv. Keep working with your doctor to find out what is going on.
You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection. Sex with a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.
While you do NOT need further hiv testing over this incident, if you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results. Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.
You've been lucky - now make sure you stay hiv negative by using condoms. They've been proven to prevent hiv infection.
Ann
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Hi Simon,
you're HIV negative, so this is great news! But you should test of other STDs, including Syphilis, which in stage 2 can give you those symptoms, and hopefully you'll find out quickly what it is and get treated and voila!
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Thanks for you replies, the thing that worries me most is the rashes on my palms, does anyone know if they sound characterisitc of ARS?
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Simon,
Did you actually read and take in anything that was written in response to your questions? You have already ruled hiv out of the equation.
Secondary syphilis can cause a rash on the palm of the hands, but it generally doesn't appear and disappear according to what position you hold your hands in. If you're worried about your rash, you MUST go see a doctor. You cannot diagnose yourself and neither can we diagnose you. Show your hands to a doctor and let the doctor take it from there.
Whatever is going on, you have ruled out hiv. You do not have hiv, you are conclusively negative.
Ann
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syphilis often gives rashes on palms & under the feet. but see a doctor as soon as possible to get a real diagnostic and get treated. If this is syphilis you are highly infectious now and you need to stop it before it attacks your neurosystem. I don't want to scare you, but you need to take action now, and hopefully everything will be fine!
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Hi all, once again, thanks for your replies and help,
I'm back at the doctors this week, will ask again about the rashes, i hope you don't all think om being irrational here, it's just a bit scary to have all these symptoms for so long and to have no explanation, once agin, thanks for your help, i hope you're all well, will update if i find out what's going on!
Cheers,
Si.